Listing Extracurriculars in Application

[Aaron Earles]

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Hey Everyone,

I wanted to share an opinion with each of you. I have been reading over several Personal Statements the past few days. All of the PS i have read have been very good, but I noticed that a lot of people make the Personal statement more like a resume than an actual statement. Now, there is nothing wrong with this practice, but I feel that you are taking up valuable space on your PS by listing and describing your ECs one by one.

AMCAS has a much better section for adding ECs than last year's AACOMAS application, where you could actually list the EC and give a description beneath the entry. AACOMAS just wants the title and the date of the event, according to my old application.

Personal statements should (in my humble opinion) include several key points.
1. Who is the this person that is applying to medical school? With all the other statistics, GPA, MCAT scores that everyone has, you are just another applicant. Why not make yourself stand out? Let the ADCOMS know what characteristics you possess. Let them know how you deal with adversity, etc.
2. Why do you want to become a physician? If you dont include your motivation in your essay, I can guarantee that the interviewers will sure ask you. The more you answer in your PS, the more "conversational" your interview can become. You put yourself in charge of your destiny and you dont feel that you are on the defensive.
3. (this one is really optional) What field intrigues you? Where would you like to eventually practice your craft? I can also speak from experience, if you dont submit this info, you will be asked.

I dont want to seem pushy or come across as an expert. I had to apply to medical school a few times to get a spot, so I know a little about the application process. I want EVERYONE on here to get into school on their first attempt. I know that some of you are stressed and would like some advice. My best advice is be yourself. Write about YOU. Write in an active voice and dont be afraid to make yourselves marketable.

IF anyone is interested, I could PM you my list of my ECs that I used on last year's application, although I dont think it will be as useful unless you apply through AMCAS. Anyway, good luck to you all. I hope that this post helps each of you.

Aaron 🙂

 

[sebas]

Thank you Aaron. Your post is very informative and helpful. I will definitly try to write my personal statement according to your guidelines.

 

[Aaron Earles]

Thank you Aaron. Your post is very informative and helpful. I will definitly try to write my personal statement according to your guidelines.

You are more than welcome sebas. Good luck to you!

Aaron

 

[DD214_DOC]

Do they not want us to write brief descriptions of our ECs for AACOMAS? I did this but if they don't want it I can remove it and leave only the dates.

By the way, should I include shadowing? Even though they were only one-time deals.

 

[Peace&Health]

Thanks Aaron for sharing your wisdom and expertise. Your the type of colleague I look forward to working with someday (after I apply and get in!)

 

[Aaron Earles]

Do they not want us to write brief descriptions of our ECs for AACOMAS? I did this but if they don't want it I can remove it and leave only the dates.

By the way, should I include shadowing? Even though they were only one-time deals.

JKDMed,

They may have changed this from last year. I was looking at my copy of the AACOMAS application and it only had the Event, and Dates that we completed it. I will go to AACOMAS and look to see if they changed it.

YES, include shadowing. It shows that you have had some experience around DOs. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

Aaron

 

[Aaron Earles]

I dont know that this will help, but I will list my EC involvement and description from last year so you could have an idea of what I included.

Clinical Exercise Physiologist
I currently work in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation at Cabell Huntington Hospital. In the hospital setting, I educate patients on the affects of cardiovascular events and subsequent prevention of heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and other heart related conditions. I also educate patients that are scheduled to have heart catheterizations and CABGs. In the outpatient setting, I create exercise prescriptions for cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation patients as well as those with diabetes.

National AACVPR Membership
The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation is the premier professional organization dedicated to the development of its members who are involved in the profession of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Membership in the AACVPR delivers educational and networking opportunities that inform its members of new advances, current legislative and reimbursement initiatives, as well as offer other benefits to help improve the care for patients with heart and lung disease.

Cholesterol Medications: Their Effects and How They Work
This material was presented at the Spring 2003 Cardi-Action Meeting at Cabell Huntington Hospital on April 21, 2003. I was asked to speak to the attendees about the risks associated with hyperlipidemia and some common methods of treatment. The pathophysiology of coronary artery disease as related to hyperlipidemia was also discussed. The purpose and mechanism of action of some common medications, such as the statin drugs, niacin supplementation, and the new drug Zetia were discussed.

Eleventh Annual WVACVPR Conference
The Eleventh Annual West Virginia Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (WVACVPR), focused on several aspects of inpatient and outpatient cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. The keynote speaker was Barry Franklin, Ph.D., who presented information about resistance training in the cardiopulmonary rehab setting. Imran Arif, MD gave a presentation on a physicians view of CHF and discussed some of the present treatments available and how they are effective.

AHA American Heart Walk
I participated in the Huntington Annual AHA American Heart Walk, along with several past and present clients of our cardiac rehabilitation program. The goal of the AHA is to promote awareness of cardiovascular disease and ways to effectively prevent and treat this disease. Having several survivors of heart attacks walking with our group showed the courage and dedication of individuals who would not allow heart disease to negatively affect their lives.

Clinical Exercise Physiologist Graduate Internship
This experience was my graduate internship to complete my masters degree. I designed exercise prescriptions for phase III cardiac and diabetes patients participating in our program. Phase II cardiac rehabilitation was scheduled three times a week. Improving quality of life and physical work capacity was our goal. I worked in the Cardiac Step-Down Unit at Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, WV, as part of this experience. I also instructed a Water Therapy course along with my supervisor.

Diabetes Exercise Center Volunteer
I had the opportunity to work with both Cardiac patients recovering from cardiovascular events, and patients with diabetes mellitus. Daily activities included monitoring the patients while they participated in exercise, monitoring cardiac patients on telemetry, teaching at educational sessions, and answering any questions that the patients may have, dealing with exercise, nutrition, etc. Measuring each patient's blood pressure before, during, and post exercise was part of the daily routine as well.

Resident Director
As a Resident Director, I supervised a staff of six Resident Advisors living in my assigned building. My duties included working with maintenance and housekeeping to ensure the building was kept neat and in working order. I was in charge of the programming budget allotted to my building. I acted as an advisor to the Residence Hall Association of my building. Having this job greatly improved my leadership ability and ability to make decisions in difficult situations.

Resident Advisor
As a Resident Advisor, I acted as a peer advisor to the residents living on my assigned floor. My duties included observing the rules and regulations of the residence halls, report needed floor repairs, answer any questions the residents may have, provide activities and programming to educate the residents, and be an active voice in Residence Hall Government. This position helped me to develop my leadership ability, as well as advising skills.

Clinical Internship Instructor
Cabell Huntington Hospital provides the opportunity for students to complete internships in various programs. I am one of three clinical instructors that give interns an orientation into Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. This position provides an opportunity to acquire the basic skills necessary to explain information and educate others. I explain the various procedures related to inpatient and outpatient Cardiac Rehab, such as writing exercise prescriptions and interpreting exercise EKGs.

Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers
I currently have a certification issued by the American Heart Association for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and use of Automated External Defibrillators. I obtained this certification in October of 2001 and have remained current.

Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider Certification
I obtained ACLS Certification on July 25, 2003. The purpose of certification in ACLS is to reduce morbidity and mortality from heart disease and stroke by increasing the probability of successful resuscitation of people who experience cardiopulmonary arrest. Some of the objectives of this course are recognition of symptoms and treatment of acute coronary syndrome, EKG interpretation, airway management, IV therapy, defibrillator usage, use of pharmacologic agents, and rapid intervention of stroke.

Developing A Home Exercise Program with Resistance Training for Pulmonary Patients
This material was presented during an educational session of Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Cabell Huntington Hospital on July 1, 2003. I discussed with the Pulmonary patients the importance of maintaining exercise after completion of their rehabilitation. Various airway hygiene, proper breathing techniques, and lung maintenance were discussed along with a proper exercise regimen while at home. Information about our pulmonary maintenance program was given also.

Hope this helps.

Aaron

 

[ArcherM2]

Would you be willing to read my personal statement? It isn't the final copy, though it is the one I turned into our Health Professions Evaluation Committee.
Let me know, I could either e-mail or pm....thanks!

 

[Aaron Earles]

Sure Archer, just send me an email. [email protected].

I sent you a PM.

Aaron

 

[DrLiver]

Is anyone having problems with the limit on this and the vol section? I have got it down to 650 words, but I am still getting an error? What should I do?
I'm afraid this might happen with my PS as well.

 

[JohnDO]

DrLiver, it's only supposed to be 100 words max or 700 characters.

 

[DrLiver]

I meant 650 characters. Sorry

 

[JohnDO]

How many words is it? It needs to be under 100 words as well. That's probably where the problem is.